Jacques Romain Georges Brel was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed theatrical songs. He generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, but later throughout the world. He is considered a master of the modern chanson.
Man of La Mancha is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes and his 17th-century novel Don Quixote. It tells the story of the "mad" knight Don Quixote as a play within a play, performed by Cervantes and his fellow prisoners as he awaits a hearing with the Spanish Inquisition. The work is not and does not pretend to be a faithful rendition of either Cervantes' life or Don Quixote. Wasserman complained repeatedly about people taking the work as a musical version of Don Quixote.
Mitch Leigh was an American musical theatre composer and theatrical producer best known for the musical Man of La Mancha.
La Valse à mille temps is Jacques Brel's fourth album. Also known as Jacques Brel 4 and American Début, the album was released in 1959 by Philips. The album was reissued on 23 September 2003 under the title La Valse à mille temps as part of the 16-CD box set Boîte à bonbons by Barclay.
Les Bonbons is a compilation album by Jacques Brel. Also known as Les Vieux, Jacques Brel Accompagné par François Rauber et Son Orchestre, and Encore, the album was released in 1966 by Barclay. The original 1966 album was itself a composite of two earlier 10" releases, one from 1963 and one from 1964. The album was reissued on 23 September 2003 under the title Les Bonbons as part of the 16-CD box set Boîte à bonbons by Barclay.
Ces gens-là is the ninth studio album by Jacques Brel. Also known as Jef, it was released in 1966 by Barclay (80323). The album was reissued on 23 September 2003 under the title Ces Gens-Là as part of the 16-CD box set Boîte à bonbons by Barclay.
Ne me quitte pas is Jacques Brel's thirteenth studio album. Released in 1972 by Barclay (80145), the album features re-recordings of many of Brel's best-known songs. The album was reissued on 23 September 2003 as part of the 16-CD box set Boîte à bonbons.
Joan Diener was an American theatre actress and singer with a three-and-a-half-octave range. As her obituary in The New York Times summed it up, Diener's "lush beauty, showstopping stage presence and operatic voice made her a favorite in musicals, especially in the original 1965 Man of La Mancha."
Dale Wasserman was an American playwright, perhaps best known for his book for Man of La Mancha.
I, Don Quixote is a non-musical play written for television and directed by Karl Genus. It was broadcast in season 3 of the CBS anthology series DuPont Show of the Month on the evening of November 9, 1959. Written by Dale Wasserman, the play was converted by him ca. 1964 into the libretto for the stage musical Man of La Mancha, with songs by Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion. After a tryout at Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, Man of La Mancha opened in New York on November 22, 1965, at the ANTA Washington Square Theatre.
Man of La Mancha is a 1972 film adaptation of the Broadway musical Man of La Mancha by Dale Wasserman, with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion. The musical was suggested by the classic novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, but more directly based on Wasserman's 1959 non-musical television play I, Don Quixote, which combines a semi-fictional episode from the life of Cervantes with scenes from his novel.
Albert Marre was an American stage director and producer. He directed the stage musical Man of La Mancha in 1965, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical.
"The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" is a popular song composed by Mitch Leigh, with lyrics written by Joe Darion. The song is the most popular song from the 1965 Broadway musical Man of La Mancha and is also featured in the 1972 film of the same name starring Peter O'Toole.
Les Marquises is Jacques Brel's fourteenth and final album. Also known as Brel, the album was released 17 November 1977 by Barclay. This was the singer's first album of new songs in ten years and was released a year before his death from lung cancer. The album's themes include death, parting ("Orly") and in several songs Brel evokes his career in the 1960s. The album was recorded live in Studio B at the Barclay Studios on Avenue Hoche, Paris. With his health failing, Brel was only able to record at most two songs per day. Brel returned to the Marquesas Islands shortly after the recording sessions.
So Nice is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis released through Mercury Records on September 16, 1966. The singer included a trio of musical numbers from Man of La Mancha in this set as well as songs from Funny Girl, Kismet, and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, shows that he had recognized on previous releases. Mathis also covers recent imports from France and Brazil and offers a rendition of a 1944 hit record as part of the mix.
Marieke is the fifth studio album by Jacques Brel. Also known as 5, the album was released in 1961 by Philips. The album was reissued on 23 September 2003 under the title Marieke as part of the 16-CD box set Boîte à bonbons by Barclay.
Boîte à bonbons is a 16-CD box set compilation of the recorded songs of Jacques Brel. The limited edition box set was released to mark the 25th anniversary of Jacques Brel's death. The box set includes 15 albums remastered from the original records. CD digipacks are presented in their original sleeve with lyrics. The box set also includes an illustrated booklet with various pictures, a biography, and Brel's citations and testimonies. Also included are five never before released songs from the recording sessions of the album Les Marquises. Included with the booklet is a bonus CD containing 28 titles: 26 songs from Radio Hasselt recorded 14 and 21 August 1953, a recording from the Brel family's private collection, and a 1962 recording from the Dutch television show AVRO. The box set is also available in an alternate velvet box format with CDs in crystal cases.
Infiniment (Infinitely) is a 2-CD compilation of Jacques Brel's best known songs. This compilation of remastered songs also contains 5 unpublished titles from the recording session of the album Les Marquises: "La cathédrale", "L'amour est mort", "Mai 40", "Avec élégance", and "Sans exigences". A booklet is included with the lyrics of the 5 new titles. Infiniment was released on 30 September 2003 to mark the 25th anniversary of Brel's death.
Les risques du métier is a 1967 French drama film directed by André Cayatte. This was Jacques Brel's first feature film and co-starred Emmanuelle Riva, Jacques Harden, and Nadine Alari. Brel also produced the soundtrack with François Rauber. The film was released on 21 December 1967. Film critics praised Brel's performance.
Music from Man of La Mancha is a studio album by Brazilian jazz pianist and singer Eliane Elias. The album was recorded in 1995 but released by Concord only on April 13, 2018.
